: Only one in four films pass the "Ageless Test," which requires at least one female character over 50 who is essential to the plot and not defined by ageist stereotypes. Behind the Scenes Employment

Reports consistently find that when mature women are shown, their depictions are often limited or negative:

: Women over 50 make up 20% of the population but only about 8% of TV roles . In top-grossing films, women over 60 account for just 2% of major female characters , compared to 8% for men in the same age bracket.

: Roles for women drop sharply after age 40. One study found that female characters dropped from 33% to 28% overall in 2023, with only 15% of female characters being in their 40s compared to 28% for men.

: In the 50+ age bracket, male characters outnumber females significantly: 80% to 20% in films and 75% to 25% in broadcast TV. Portrayals and Stereotypes

: A 2025 study found that menopause is almost non-existent in film; out of 225 movies with leading women over 40, only 6% even mentioned it , often as a joke.

: Portrayals of older women are overwhelmingly white, middle-class, and heterosexual. Characters from ethnic or sexual minorities are almost entirely absent in this age group.